The miracle of Italy

The miracle of Italy is that all its treasures come packaged in a gorgeous country of majestic mountains, placid lakes, idyllic islands, splendid cities and wonderful walled villages. An ideal climate plus warm and gracious people make Italy a perfect destination for an active vacation, the art lover, the gourmand, the hedonist combined, why not, with business.

For thousands of years, Italy has been at the forefront of modern culture. The birthplace of the Roman Empire and fountainhead of the Renaissance, Italy has retained a prominent spot atop the global radar since long before the time of Caesar. While there are million of reasons to visit Italy, to list them all would take weeks. For those interested in historical architecture, the ruins that dot the countryside are a marvel to behold. The most famous are those of Ancient Rome, where the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and Pantheon are all within a couple miles of each other. Palaces, castles, villas and gardens spread throughout the finest cities in Italy, while famous cathedrals, towering cathedrals and glittering Renaissance structures dot the skylines of Florence and Siena, Rome and Naples.

Active Holidays
Doing nothing is not easy! For active holidaymakers Italy features a wide variety of distraction to choose from, when you want to gain new strength and energy from your adventures and activities.

Art Cities
The great artistic legacy of Italy, unequalled anywhere in the world, is not only distributed throughout the major cities and their famous museums; one can say in truth that there is no Italian city, however modest, which does not contain and cherish some share of this wealth of art. Indeed, many of them can be considered real treasures - so beautiful and valuable are the works they contain. The artistic riches of Italy's main cities have already been described.


For art lovers, trips to Italy are a must. The Uffizi Gallery in Florence holds many of the grandest treasures of the Renaissance, while the nearby Galleria dell"Accademia is home to one of the most famous sculptures in all the world: Michelangelo"s David. The Vatican Museums, located within the city limits of Rome, hold all of the Catholic Church"s immense treasures, capped off with the imposing St. Peter"s and one of the major highlights of many trips to Italy, the Sistine Chapel. There are many other artistic wonders to behold in nearly every Italian city, from the northern Venetian museums all the way down to the coast of Sicily. Italy vacations can also include the sophistication and pageantry of the theater. While operas are the main draw, there are many other musical options, not to mention the chance to watch famed plays that have stood the test of time in some of the most ornate and celebrated buildings in the world.

Food & Wine
The gentle lifestyle of Italy is partly a product of its civilized eating habits: eating and drinking in tranquility at least once a day are a norm here.

Albania

It is mainly people that have never been to Albania who are responsible for the country's bad press. Those who discover Albania for themselves usually return singing the praises of its friendly, tolerant people, its fascinating Ottoman cities and other historical sites and its magnificent mountain scenery and charming villages.

Albania has something to offer almost everyone. Hikers will love the Albanian Alps or the Tomorri massif, whilst cyclists will find a network of ancient tracks criss-crossing the country. Those who are interested in archaeology can spend hoursin the complex sites of Butrint and Byllis. History-lovers can explore ancient castles, Ottoman fortresses and the museum cities of Berati and Gjirokastra. Art connoisseurs should visit the little-known medieval churches, with their beautiful frescoes, and the icon collections in Tirana, Korça and Berati. And gourmets will enjoy the delicious seafood, mountain lamb, organic fruit and vegetables and, of course, Albania's excellent wine.

Fishing Lake Ohrid

Beaches and coastline



Albania has 450 kilometres of coastline, with calm and sheltered waters for swimming. On the northern Adriatic coast centred around the large port of Durres, the beaches are sandy and shallow, making them ideal for families although they are crowded in high season. The unspoilt southern Ionian coastline, south of Vlora is more rocky, with the mountains coming down to the sea, and water sports and diving on offer. Further south, ferries from the Greek island of Corfu run to the seaside town of Saranda, giving access to the most southern stretch of coastline.


Albanian cuisine is excellent, with both Ottoman and Italian influences evident. There are many good restaurants everywhere, although obviously in smaller towns the choice is less wide than in the cities. Vegetarians will find themselves eating a lot of salad; luckily for them, Albanian tomatoes and cucumber are delicious.

Albanian Foods:

Albanian vineyards produce high-quality wine, some of it from indigenous grapes such as Kallmet (red) and Shesh (red and white). Grapes are also used to make raki, a clear spirit which is the country's national drink.

National specialties:
• Mediterraneanfish such as sea-bream and sea-bass, as well as eels.
• Koran (a species of trout unique to the Ohrid and Prespa lakes).
• Traditional dishes often use vegetables and yogurt or curd cheese to make the meat go further.
• Paçë koke (sheep's head soup).
• Kukurec (sheep's innards in a gut casing).

Traditional Stuffed Peppers

National drinks:
• Apart from raki (see above), Albania's other national drink is coffee. In bars and restaurants, this usually means espresso or cappuccino.
• In private homes, kafe turke is made in the traditional Balkan way, with grounds and sugar brewed together.